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Welcome to Dakota County

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County Information
Founded October 27, 1849
Seat Hastings
Largest city Eagan
Dakota County is named after the Dakota Sioux tribal bands who settled in the area.
The name is recorded as "Dahkotah" in U.S. Census records until 1851.
The County is 587 square miles in area, originally vegetated with oak prairie savannas.
Dakota County lies within the confluence of three of the four major rivers draining from the State of Minnesota
-- the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers along the northern border and the Mississippi and St. Croix Rivers on the
eastern border. The County's development and history have been greatly influenced by its proximity to these rivers.
Previous to European settlement, Dakota County was part of an expansive territory of the Dakota tribe of American
Indians. In 1689, Nicholas Perrot, a fur trader, proclaimed possession of Dakota, Ojibwe (Chippewa), and other
American Indian lands for the nation of France, without the consent of the tribes. Lands west of the Mississippi
River were annexed from France to the United States in 1805 through the Louisiana Purchase.
In 1849, the Minnesota Territory legislature created nine original counties, including Dakota. The County's original
boundary extended only as far south as Hastings, but extended west several hundred miles to the Missouri River.
The County seat was first established in Kaposia in 1853, was moved to Mendota in 1854, and moved again to Hastings
in 1857, where it currently resides. Mendota, directly across the river from Fort Snelling, became the first European
settlement in Minnesota. As American Indians were systematically removed from their lands and rebellions moved
further to the west, large numbers of European settlers began arriving to the region in the mid-1850s. With increased
population, Minnesota became a state in May 1858, nine years after the inception of Dakota County.
Source: Dakota County Government - Submitted by John Bauer
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Townships
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Cities
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Castle Rock Township
Douglas Township
Empire Township
Eureka Township
Greenvale Township
Hampton Township
Marshan Township
Nininger Township
Randolph Township
Ravenna Township
Sciota Township
Vermillion Township
Waterford Township
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Apple Valley
Burnsville
Coates
Eagan
Farmington
Hampton
Hastings (part)
Inver Grove Heights
Lakeville
Lilydale
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Mendota
Mendota Heights
Miesville
New Trier
Northfield (part)
Randolph
Rosemount
South St. Paul
Sunfish Lake
Vermillion
West St. Paul
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Online Data
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Church Histories / Records
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Website Updates:
Apr. 2013: Births for Gregory &
Wilson
Nov. 2012: Obits: Atherton, Blackberg, Cole, Kennedy, McDermott, Rother, Todd Marriages: Anthony - Thompson; Barns - Herbst; Carlson - Gaeng; Fsby - Wiusen; Hubley - Horsch; Martin - Martin; Otts - Heichert; Riches - Weber; Schmit - Schweich; Smith - Jankey; Staff - Ehlers Bios: Faribault, Heerman, Olmstead; Truax, Twichell Sept. 2012: Bio: Norrish August 2012: Obit: Carlson July 2012: Bios: Butler, Caldwell; Obit: Densmore June 2012: Obit: Conison; Bios: Lovell, Nelson, Twichell May 2012: Bios: Abbott, Babcock Apr. 2012: Bios: Butler, Carpenter, Countryman, Donnelly, Empey, Follett, Gergen, McArthur, Parker, Sibley, Smith, Todd Mar. 2012: Obits: Gotelaere, Lockhart, Mears, Schwantes, Wagner; Bios: Chaffee, Chamberlain, Clark, Cobb, Countryman, Crosby, Crowley, Harrington; Marriage: Ward-Lyons Feb. 2012: Bios: DeKay, Sheppard
Jan 2012: History of the county, including the First Settlers
Dec 2011: Death certificates for BECK, SCHWANTES; list of Cemeteries
Previous Updates:
BERRY suicide death notice; County History; Township/City History; Civil War Enlistees, 1868 Hastings Business
directory; WW II Casualties; Bio for CROWLEY |
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